I have spent a significant amount of my time today cleaning Chez Shitty today. This task, in some ways, has been like Christmas, e.g.; Ooh, I forgot I had (insert inexplicably weird/esoteric item here). At other times it was like something from a horror movie. Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Halloween (yours truly’s favorite of all holidays) will soon be upon us. To truly celebrate Halloween one needs a costume. Tomorrow at Spacecraft you can make one— and savor a witches brew of other delights (for children of all ages):

Leslie Hinkel writes:

Come join the ghoulish gals and guys at Spacecraft for a night of costuming, consuming (spooky punch, crafty beer, and other tricks and treats), and communing with your local creepy crafters!

Weâ€™ll have a ton of thrifted clothes to pillage and do up into whatever your Halloween heart desires, with all the supplies you need to spook up some seasonal creativity. Donâ€™t wait until the last minute to make your costume! Come hang at our haunt and get on it already!

Materials, refreshments (of the adult AND kid varieties), and a raffle ticket to win booty are all be included in the $10 fee!

Okay these city critters aren’t so wild— but they make for a nice interlude this Wednesday afternoon. A special New York Shitty thanks goes out to Tristan Culbert for sharing these finds with us. Thanks!

After this post I will be signing off for awhile so as to get a little housework done before my inlaws arrive tomorrow morning. In anticipation of their visit I have been researching activities for us to enjoy. The Chile Pepper Fiesta (October 3) is a distinct possibility, Atlantic Antic (October 4) is a must-do— as are the following two items.

Yes folks, your eyes are not deceiving you: this weekend there will not be one, but TWO Oktoberfests in the Garden Spot. Check ‘em out!

I imagine I was one of maybe a dozen people who were enthusiastically watching the run-off count last night. I was hitting the “refresh” button like a circus monkey on crack. When it became all too clear that Liu was going to win (or as I prefer to look at it: Yassky was going to lose) I wanted to blog it. The Mister told me to abstain:

Wait until the count becomes official.

Well, it has— and I have since felt a twinge of guilt. To assuage this guilt I would like to assist Mr. Yassky with his future career prospects by having a little contest. This is where you come in: what do you think David’s next move should be now that he is slated to become a private citizen? I’ll get the ball rolling with my suggestion: lobbyist for Toll Brothers.

You can submit your two cents via comments or email at missheather (at) thatgreenpointblog (dot) com.

I have received a great number of reader emails regarding the recent happenings at the place formerly known as the Greenpoint Hotel. Many of them more or less are along the lines of the following, which was written by a chap named Dave:

hey, i thought you would be interested to know that the greenpoint hotel got a face lift today…i was grabbing a coffee at champion and noticed scaffolding and painters updating the beige-y pink building of sin. Gone was the foreboding “HOTEL” sign, which may only be missing during the painting. Later in the day I noticed the paint was extended to the next door laundry mat. I guess the two are connected.

For those of you who are not in the know, the Greenpoint Hotel was sold earlier this month. What you may not know is who bought it: a man named Jay Deutchman. I spoke to him on the telephone this morning about the future of this, one of Greenpoint’s, more dubious establishments. Follows is a general outline of points were discussed.

THE BUY

He purchased this property on September 2nd.

The DEA had apparently seized the property from its prior owner: Max Stark.

It was a hostile buy, e.g.; Mr. Deutchman was provided very little background information about the place. (As he jokingly remarked at the end of our conversation: I wish I would have read your blog before buying it. I might have had second thoughts.)

CHANGES AFOOT: As Dan (and many of you, dear readers, have noted) a number of cosmetic changes have been made to this complex since— much as painting the facade and removing the “Hotel” sign. Here are few more changes Mr. Deutchman is implementing:

Curing the numerous standing Department of Buildings/Fire code violations including: a hazardous wall, repairing the fire safety doors (which would not close) and replacing 170 sprinkler heads. The latter most were done with the consultation of the Fire Department. By his own guesstimation Mr. Deutchamn thinks her has completed about 75% of the work required to bring this building into compliance.

Mr. Deutchman is also working with the 94th Precinct’s Community Liaison, Scott Adamo, in regards to the drug activity which has long plagued this building. Among the changes he has/is in the process of making are:a. Hiring eight “Safety Directors” (security guards) to monitor the building.
b. Installing a surveillance system.c. Requiring all visitors to sign in and present identification.
d. Installing a swipe card system at the entrance of the building.
e. Removing all the unregistered sex offenders from the building. Mr. Deutchman did not indicate to me how many there were but I intuit there were quite a few.Yikes!

As my previous post indicated, he is in the process of vacating this property. There were 100 residents at the time he purchased it. He has since reduced this number to 70. In three weeks he estimates he will be at 95% vacancy. He is actively working with city agencies, the Veteran’s Administration and colleagues to rehouse those who are being displaced.a. Needless to say, he is not renting rooms. He made it clear to me that he has no experiencing running a hotel and has no interest in doing so.
b. He specializes in the operation of SROs and made it very clear that this building will NOT be converted into a rehab facility.

All in all I came away with a positive feeling from our conversation. Mr. Deutchman seems to understand why the community is is in a tizzy about the changes he is implementing at this storied and notorious address. Aside from reaching out to the police department he wants to meet with our local community board (this has yet to happen) and any concerned neighbors to hear their concerns. To this end any and all are encouraged to call his office to schedule a meeting with him. Those of who want to take Mr. Deutchman up on his offer can do so by calling (347) 294-0110. Ask for Jay.

Otherwise, we have made a tentative “date” (ok, we agreed to make a date) to tour 1109 Manhattan Avenue so I can see the changes he is making in person. I can hardly wait!

Mediterranean Shawarma is OPEN TODAY!!!! Didn’t have time to stop but when I walked by, the crowd (!) looked great. Moms with kids, Polish old timers, hipsters, non hipsters. I’m hoping the food is good. Did you see the chandeliers in the joint?!

I have now!

(Shepherd’s salad and babaganoush)

Mmmmm, falafel. Yes folks as of 2:00 p.m. today Greenpoint’s first middle eastern restaurant, Mediterranean Shawarma, is open for business. I can personally attest that the food tastes as good as it looks. Give ‘em a try!